Wednesday, July 29, 2009

We’re past the halfway point for the minor league season, and, we’ve had the opportunity to see our minor leaguers play for another season. Additionally, we’ve had the opportunity to see many of our players from the class of 2009 play professional baseball for the first time.

Beneath those records, though, are many notable performances, and unfortunately some struggles and injuries. It’s with that in mind that we present our Top 30 Mid-Season Prospect List. This list is a snapshot of how the players are performing over the course of this season. The rankings do include an evaluation of a player’s major league potential as well as the likelihood of achieving that potential. However, this list is not as definitive as our Top 50 Prospects List that we present annually in the offseason and rankings may still change between now and then.

With that in mind, we present our Top 30 Midseason Prospects as of July 29, 2009.

What's not to like about the type of season Reckling has had? Was promoted to Double-A as a 19-year old after posting a 0.95 ERA through three starts with the Quakes. Trevor has held his own since and is the youngest pitcher in Double-A and second youngest to recently promoted top prospect Mike Stanton of the Marlins.

Bourjos only flaw last season was his plate discipline and he's worked hard to improve that by posting a .364 on base pct., walking 31 times already despite missing a handful of games this season due to a sore wrist. Bourjos walked just 19 times over a full season in 2008. He's a bonifide centerfielder and looks to be a fantastic leadoff hitter in the future.

While Sean O'Sullivan's minor league #'s aren't so hot, he sure has looked good in the big leagues. Combine that with a throwing a gem of a game, no-hitting the Sacramento River Cats last night -- the first ever no hitter by a Salt Lake Bees pitcher, Sean has all the makings of being a solid major league pitcher for many years to come. He's younger than Trevor Bell and he beat him to the big leagues.

The best two things about our #1 prospect going into the season was the fact that he's seen considerable time behind the plate and the fact that his plate discipline has improved. Case and point, Conger has walked 9 times vs. 3 strikeouts in his last 10 games. Conger's home run power was sapped early on due to a lingering wrist injury, but not to worry, he's got tremendous pop from both sides of the plate and we're seeing it a lot more as the season goes on.

Trevor Bell the Angels #1 pick in '05 has recorded two complete game shutouts since his promotion to Salt Lake, while recording another seven inning scoreless contest in his second start in Triple-A. Bell's low to mid 90's fastball, curveball and changeup -- and ability to command the strike zone with all three pitches, while working quickly on the mound - has given opposing hitters fits.

The Angels southpaw leads the organization with the most strikeouts for a pitcher. After last night's game, Torres has fanned 124 California League hitters while posting a solid 2.74 ERA. The impressive stat here though is the amount of HR's given up. Torres has given up just 4 home runs, despite playing in a league where the ball flies out of the ball park with regularity.

Are you kidding me? A .163 batting average against? Michael Kohn has opposing batters baffled by his sharp breaking ball and mid to high 90's heater. Look for Kohn to move quickly through the system, possibly earning a September callup.

Chris Pettit was on a roll before he broke his hamate bone in June, hitting close to .400. Offers solid on base skills, good stolen base potential and some pop from the top of the order going forward. Profiles as a future .300 hitter hitting somewhere at the one or two spot in the lineup.

Sweeney has been out since early June with a hip injury and currently there is no timetable for his return. Be that as it may, Sweeney showed enough through 50 games to earn a spot in the top 10, showing power, plate discipline and improved defense at the hot corner. He's definitely a slugger to keep an eye on going forward.

Segura, though barely 19 years old, has been a man among the boys in the Pioneer League. Segura has shown good power, speed and the ability to make solid contact, while showing an impressive eye at the plate (11 walks vs. 10 strikeouts with the Owlz). You can never have enough future middle infielders who can put some hurtin' on a ball like Segura.

Batting 2nd for the Kernels, Amarista has a nearly 1:1 K:BB ratio (41:38). He has the patience and speed to bat at the top of the order guy. Could be a future role player like Maicer Izturis but with more speed.

After signing with the Angels, Trout is showing every reason why he was a first round draft pick. He has power, patience, and speed, and everything the Angels will need from a future center fielder defensively.

A definite late bloomer, Evans has been providing a good portion of the offense for the Bees this season. He could make a good corner 4th OFer for the Angels or could start on several teams and provide 20/20 offense.

After a brief stint at Rancho, Andrew has been on fire with the Kernels. With Cedar Rapids, he’s posted a 1.25 ERA in 36.0 IP, with 59 Ks and a 0.94 WHIP. This lefty could zoom through the system as he can give the club more than 1 inning pitched and can get guys out late in the game.

Injuries. Walden’s season has been marred for forearm tightness that has limited his duration and effectiveness. A move to the pen may be in order when his high heat and slider would be more effective.

Our 2nd high-profile Korean signees (signed in December of 2008), Jang has been living up to the hype. He’s got excellent control and a low 90s fastball, solid breaking balls and a decent change to keep the hitters off balanced.

In his first year as a reliever he started the season in AA yet has worked his way up to the big club. His fastball is tremendous and his strikeout numbers may improve as he becomes more comfortable coming out of the pen.

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